China and 32 other countries signed the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) in Hong Kong on Friday, creating an international legal body for alternative dispute resolution. The signing ceremony drew approximately 400 representatives from 85 countries and 20 international organizations, with the signatories becoming founding members. Described by Beijing [...]

A bill being pushed through the Italian legislature by Giorgia Meloni’s government resulted in protests in Rome on Saturday. The bill is being criticized for its alleged reduction of human rights protections in the criminal justice system. The law strengthens protections for police accused of violence and doles out harsher punishment for protesters. Legal aid, [...]

A federal judge on Friday prevented US President Donald Trump’s administration from revoking temporary protected status for 5,000 Venezuelans—halting the invalidation of work permits and other residency documents. San Francisco US District Judge Edward Chen found that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem potentially exceeded her legal authority when trying to invalidate Temporary Protection Status (TPS) [...]

Amnesty International on Saturday decried an Italian government order, claiming its elevated sanctions against activists, prisoners and migrants constitute a potential grant of arbitrary law enforcement power. The new measures, called “draconian” by the organization, create new offenses for prisoners and migrants at detention centers for not cooperating with or passively resisting police orders. According [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged El Salvador on Friday to repeal its newly enacted “foreign agents” law, calling it a direct threat to press freedom and civil society. The law, approved on May 20 by the Legislative Assembly dominated by President Nayib Bukele’s party, requires organizations and individuals receiving international funding to register [...]

While Colombia has made notable progress in protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and gender-diverse (LGBT) individuals, the country must urgently address widespread discrimination and violence still faced by these communities, a UN human rights expert has warned Friday. The UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation [...]

Victims of state violence in Argentina’s Jujuy province deserve justice two years later, Amnesty International said in a report Friday. In 2023 the province of Jujuy underwent a constitutional reform initiated by Governor Gerardo Morales, which resulted in protests. Those protesting included teachers’ unions, Indigenous communities, leftist parties, and the dissenting wing of the Jujuy [...]

The United Nations called for global action to reduce climate change’s impact on water-related ecosystems in an international preservation conference on Friday. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed attended the International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation, held in Tajikistan. While delivering opening remarks, she highlighted the reliance that the community has on glaciers as a vital source [...]

The US Department of Education (DOE) announced Friday that New York state has violated federal civil rights law by banning Native American school mascots while permitting mascots derived from other ethnic groups. This comes after the DOE launched an investigation into the state’s mascot controversy last month. The investigation was launched after The Native American [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) voiced alarm on Friday over the conviction of Kyrgyz whistleblower Zhoomart Karabaev, calling it a troubling example of how Kyrgyzstan’s justice system punishes those who dare to expose corruption. His case, they warn, reflects a broader pattern of retaliatory prosecutions targeting government critics. Judge Nurdin Ibraimov of the Pervomaysky District Court [...]